Straight, shiny & white, healthy teeth are counted as a hallmark of beauty, and there are also many myths and superstitions attached to not so perfect teeth. These are not just old held beliefs but still in today’s world, many people believe they hold a meaning. Here are a few…
Myth 1:
It is unlucky to count your teeth. A pulled wisdom tooth is a lucky charm.
Don’t know about the counting of teeth theory but isn’t it easy to bring a lucky charm your way – just pull out your wisdom tooth!
Another myth associated with wisdom teeth apparently indicates long life, if your wisdom teeth come in late, you will enjoy a long life!
Wisdom teeth can be troublesome and painful. Although not so easy to do yourself, the removal of wisdom teeth is quite easy and painless at Expert Dental Care under the hands of our qualified and experienced dental team, with many painless anaesthetic options available at our surgery. Although, we don’t believe it will bring luck your way, we can guarantee it will be a non-traumatic, painless experience.
Myth 2:
If a tooth is pulled out during the waning moon, it is less painful with a good and fast recovery. So, it’s up to you if you feel you need to check the calendar before fixing your appointment and are happy to live with any pain or trauma until then.
Myth 3:
There are many superstitions about the space between your front teeth. Here are just a few.
- Spacing between front teeth signifies long life.
- The spacing indicates you may spend that life far from your childhood home.
- You will accumulate a lot of wealth.
- Broad front teeth mean lots of travelling.
The other side of this superstition says if the teeth are set together or overlapping, you will spend your life close to your mother or birthplace.
Gaps and overlapping teeth can be problematic for oral hygiene as well as not aesthetically pleasing. Our Expert Dental Care dentists can discuss a tailor-made solution to make you smile.
Myth 4:
Picking your teeth with a pin brings bad luck.
We are not sure whether this is so, but we are sure that it is not good for your gums as it damages the health and long-term prognosis for healthy gums which means healthy teeth.
Stick with the myth on this one and avoid this activity.
Myth 5:
Dreaming of loose teeth or teeth falling out. This one is so common…many amongst us have had this dream at least once, and many of us multiple times. There are many myths based around these dreams including:
- You are going to experience a big change in your life.
- You are low on confidence in life – or at this stage of your life.
- To see falling out teeth in your dream suggests you will soon regret something you said, or you will say/gossip about something that you shouldn’t have said.
At Expert Dental Care we don’t know about the myths or the meanings of dreams, but we do know that preventative care through regular check-ups and good oral hygiene are key to maintaining healthy teeth and stop teeth from becoming loose or falling out.
Myth 6:
Babies born with teeth. There are few around this one.
According to ancient Romans, babies born with teeth were considered lucky and would grow old to become a leader or a fighter.
Some other cultures believe that babies born with teeth bring bad luck – some even expect these kids to become vampires!
When we take away the craziness of this myth, it really can be a problem when a baby is born with tooth/teeth as it may pose a problem to breast feeding. Our dentists are experts in paediatric dentistry and will be able to help with any issues your child is experiencing.
Here’s to good oral health
There are far more superstitions attached to teeth that can be found in literature and on-line, and it’s each individual person’s preference which one to believe and which one to laugh at, but there is one thing you can be sure of – Expert Dental Care’s team is here to help with any of your dental needs.
By Dr Devahuti Kulkarni
